Flange lubricator



March 25, 1930. E, C, HOWERTON ET AL 1,751,635

FLANGE LUBRICATOR Fi-led Sept. 26, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheetl 1 Suoi/m11 March 25, 1 930. E, c. HOWERTON ET AL 1,751,635

FLANGE I JUBRICATOR i.. mn

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Patented Mar. 25, 1930 UNITED stares Fries EMERY C. HOWERTON AND ANDREW IBERGLIN,. OF DENVER,Y COLORADO, ASSIGNORS F ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE E..CALLA1-IA1\T, OF DENVER, COLORADO lIEILANGE LUBRICATOR Application med september 2e, 1927.` seriai Nd. acreaa This invention relates to improvements in flange oilers of the general type employed in the lubrication of the flanges of the wheels of locomot-ives. i

Locomotives and other vehicles that run on rails are provided with flanges for the purpose of keeping the vehicles on the track. Even when the track is perfectly straight, the flanges will contact with the rails from time to time and in passing around curves the pressure between the flanges kand the rails often becomes very high. If theflanges'are' not lubricated, they willv wear very fast and besides this the great amountv of friction between the unlubricated flange andthe rail' has a tendency to make the wheels climb the rail and to thereby cause wrecks.

It is the obj ect of thisl invention to produce a lubricating device that shall be so yconstructed that it is positive in its action and which will operate to lubricate the flanges whenever the locomotive is operating and which will cease functioning whenever the locomotive stops.

It is another'object of this invention'to produce a lubricator that will apply the lul bricant directly to the flanges of the wheel and which can therefore be relied upon to per-form its function under all conditions. l

Itis a further object Vof this inventiony to produce an applicator which can readily be attached to the locomotive and which can be adjusted so as to obtain the best results.

The above and other objects that may be# come apparent as this description proceeds are attained by means of a construction and an arrangement of parts that will be described in detail and reference for this purpose will now be had to the accompanying drawings in which the preferred embodiment has bee illustrated and in which: v

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one of the drivewheels of a locomotive and parts of the frame? work, showing my improved lubricator 'in place 1 Fig. 2 is a view, to a somewhat enlarged scale, taken along line2-2, Fig. 1, and shows the :applicator in place;

' Fig3 is a section taken-on line 3**13, Fig. 1i;l Fig. Ltis asectiontaken online-4%, Fig. 3

. Fig. 5`is a transverse section taken on line 5-5,F1g.3; and

Fig. 6 1s a side view of the applicator,

taken' in the direction indicated by numeral 6, in Fig. 2. i

In the drawing numeral 1 represents a` drivewheel of a locomotiveand numeral 2 one of the frame members to which the crosshead i guides 3 are connected. Numeral 4L represents another part of the locomotive frame, while numeral 5 represents one of the links' forming part of the valve gear of the engine. This link is rocked whenever the engine operates and this in turn causes the shaft 6 to oscillate about its axis. Secured tothe end of shaft 6 isa crank arm 7 to which reference will' be made hereinafter. Each wheel is provided with a flange. 8 that engages the side of the rails for the purpose of keeping the locomotive on the track in a manner well understood. In going around curves there is usually a great pressure between the flange and the side of the rail which is objectionable for reasons already given. lIt has `been found that it is necessary for the best operation of the engineto lubricate the flanges as this will'reduce the wear and also eliminate the ldanger of the wheel climbing the rail so as to derail the locomotive.

very simple mechanism hasv been provided,

' which willnow be described.

This mechanism consists of a container 9 which is supported on the horiiont-al arm 10 of a bracket, whosevertical armV l1 is secured to the stationary frame member`2. The construction of this container and the mechanism connected therewith has been illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 from which it will be seen that the container is a rectangular cast-iron box provided at each corner with a lug 12,

which is perforated for. the reception of a bolt by means of which'it is 'securedto the horizontaly arm 10.V A cover 13`is provided `on one side with lugs 14 that cooperate with and directly beneath this are two lugs 18, between which is pivoted a loop 19, which is adapted to receive the end of the lug 17 so as to form a lock or a latch for the purpose of holding the cover in closed position. A bolt 2O passes through the upper end of the loop 19 and engages the lug so as to produce the necessary downward pressure to hold the cover in closed position. A shaft 21 extends transversely through the casing and is journalled in bearings 22 and 23. The bearing 22 is formed in a manner shown in Fig. 3, while bearing 23 is constructed with a gland or packing box, whose plug member has been indicated by reference numeral 24. The outer end of the shaft 21 has secured to it an upwardly extending armY 25 that is provided with a number of openings 26. A connecting rod 27 extends between the arm 7 and arm 25 in the manner shown in Fig. 1, so that whenever the shaft 6 is oscillated, this mot-ion will be conducted by means of the connecting rod to the shaft 21. The extent of the oscillation of shaft 21 can be regulated to some extent by connecting the ends of the connecting rod 27 at different distances from the center of rotation of the shaft 6 and shaft 21. From the above description it will be apparent that shaft 21 will only oscillate whenever the locomotive is moving.

For the purpose of utilizing this oscillatory motion of shaft 21 for feeding lubricant, shaft 21 is provided with a crank arm 28 to the outer end of which a short connecting rod 29 is pivot-ally connected. The other end of this connecting rod is located between the ends 30 of two parallel spaced plungers 31, and is pivotally connected with this by means of a pivot pin 32. The bottom of the casing is provided with a solid block 33, which has been shown as formed integral with the casing, but which may be made of a separate piece, if desired. with two parallel cylindrical openings 34.

Plugs are inserted into the ends of these openings in the manner shown in Fig. 4. The inner ends of plugs 35 are provided with axial openings 36 for the reception of the pistons 37 which are formed by a reduced section'of the plungers 30. Holes 38 extend downwardly through the block 33 and intersect the opening 36. A transverse opening 39 connects the two vertical openings 38 in the manner shown quite clearly in Figs. 3

s and 4.

44 close the upper ends ofopenings 40 andv This block is providedY hold the balls in their places. It is apparent that the balls 43 act as check valves which permit the lubricant to flow from the cylinder 36 into the tubes 42, but prevent flow in the opposite direction. When shaft 21 is oscillated plungers 30 will be reciprocated and with the cylinders 36 form a pump. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4, the lubricant may flow into' cylinders 36 and when the pistons are moved towards the left, this lubricant will be forced upwardly through the openings 40 into the horizontal openings 41 and will pass from thence into the tubes 42. The length of the stroke of the pistons is determined by the position of the ends of the connecting rod 27 with respect to the arms 7 and 25 in t-he manner above intimated. Tubes 42 extend from the casing 9 to a place adjacent to where the lubricant is to be applied to the wheels. In the drawing we have shown two plungers and two separate tubes 42, but there may be as many of these as may be desired. The ends of these tubes are connected by means of flexible tubing 46 f which extends to an applicator which will now be described.

This applicator has been illustrated in Figs. 2 and 6 and comprises a bracket hav-v ing a vertical arm 47 that is provided with an opening 48 for the reception of a bolt 49 by means of which it is secured in place to the stationary frame member 4. Arm 47 has also an arcuate slot through which the bolt 5-1 extends. Bolts 49 and 51 hold this bracket in place and by loosening these bolts the bracket arm can be rotatedV about bolt 49 to the extent permitted by the length of the slot 50 and which is particularly useful for making the adjustments made necessary by the gradual reduction of the diameter of the tire due to wear, etc. This produces-an ad just'ment which lcan be taken advantage of in securing the proper operation of the device. The horizontal arm 52 of this bracket is provided with two spaced arms 53, whose ends are perforated. A shor't section of pipe 54 is provided intermediate its ends with diametrically extending trunnions 55, that are journalled in the openings in the ends of arms 53 in the manner shown. A spring 56 has one end secured to the pipe 54 and t-he other to the arm 52 and is tensioned so as to produce a force that tends to move the pipe 54 towards the arm 52 in the manner quite apparent from Fig. 2. The flexible tubes 46 are connected to the upper end of pipe 54. A rubber tube 57 is telescopically connected with the lower end of pipe 54 and the end of this tube, as well as the end of pipe 54 has been cut diagonally so that a surface is produced which will fit against the surface of flange 8 in the manner indicated in the drawing. As the end of tube V57 wears, it can be moved downwardly and will therefore serve its purpose until it is almost entirely used up. A check valve 58 is provided in the tubes 42 adjacent the place where tubes 46. are connected with them in the manner shown in Fig. 2. As casing9 is located outside of the locomotive, it is subject to variations in temv perature and it is therefore necessary to provide some means for heating the contents during cool weather. For this purpose we have provided a casing with an opening 59 which ext-ends longitudinally thereof. This opening may be formed when the casingV is cast or it may merely consist of a pipe that can be applied at any time. In the construction shown the opening 51 is formed by means of a core during the casting and pipes 6() and 6l are secured to opposite ends of this opening. Pipe 60 may be connected with the steam dome of the locomotive boiler or to any pipe containing live steam so that there will constantly be a flow of steam through the opening 59. This will produce suflicient heat to keep the lubricant in a flowable condition during the coldest weather. With the parts assembled in dthe manner above described, we will now consider the operation of thesame.

Let us now assume that the casing 9 is filled with a lubricating oil and that the engine is in operation. During the operation of the engine sha-ft 6 will oscillate thereby oscillating shaft 21 so as to reciprocate the plungers.- The reciprocationofthe pistons in the cylinders 36 produces a pump action that forces lubrication through the Vpipes 42, through the flexible tubes 46 and through the pivot pipe 54 of the applicator. This lubrie cant emerges from the lower end of pipe 54 and is deposited directly onto the flange 8. The nonmetallic tube 57 helps to spread the lubricant evenly over the flange surface and also produces tight connection between the flanges that prevent the lubricant from flowing during those times when the engine is standing still. The check valves 58 merely assist the action of the ball 43 so as to make the operation of the pumps more positive. It may be possible to dispense with the check valves 58 under certain circumstances. By means of the adjustable bracket that supports the pipe 54, the latter can be adjusted so as to deliver the lubricant to the flange 8 at the proper positions.

It has been intimated above that as many plungers can be employed as may be desired.

and therefore the illustration, where only two plungers have been shown, should not be considered as in any way limiting this invention to this number.

From the above it will be `apparent that a flange lubricator has been produced that is positive in its operation and which will deliver the lubricant to the flanges at `the most suitable place. Since this lubricator has a positive feed, it can be absolutely relied upon to furnish the lubricant in the desired quantities regardless ofthe atmospheric conditions. Since the operation of this lubricator is dependent upon the operation of the valve link mechanism of the engine, it is apparent that there will be no flow,V of lubricant when the engine isstationaryandthat whenever the engine is running, the parts will receive the necessary amount of lubrication.

The check valve 58, in addition to serving the function above pointed out, also prevents siphoning of the oil from the container. The

nonmetallic tube 57 fits close against the,

flange, but it sometimes happens that for various reasons oil is permitted to leak between the tube 57 and the flange and in the absence of the check valve 58, this would have a tendency to siph'on the oil from the container. The check valve is merely a ball check valve of the ordinary type and the weight of the ball is sufcient to prevent the siphoning action referred to.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

l. In a device for lubricating the flanges of car wheels having a lubricant container, a plunger mechanism for transferring the lubricant and means operated by a moving part of the car for. operating the plunger when the car moves, an applicator comprising, in combination a bracket having angularly related arms. one of which has a hole for the reception of a bolt by means of which it is secured to a stationary part of a car, said arm having also a transversely extending slot for ,the reception of a clamping bolt, whereby thel position of the bracket may be adjusted about-the center of the other bolt, a short section of pipe, means for pivotally securing the pipe to the other arm of the bracket, a spring extending between the bracket and the pipe and tensioned to exert a force tending to rotate the pipe about its pivot and a nonmetallic tube telescopically connected with one end of said pipe.

2. In a lubricating device for flanged railway car wheels having means operated by a movable part of the car for forcing lubricant through a pipe, a device secured to the end vof the pipe for directing the lubricant onto the flange of a wheel, said device consisting of a bracket having two angularly related arms, one of which has openings for the reception of means for securing it to a stationary part of a car frame one of said openings being elongated and extending transversely of the bracket arm, whereby the bracket may be adjusted about the center of the other opening, the other end having spaced ears provided with openings, a short section of pipe provided with trunnions adapted to enter the openings in the ears, a spring having one end secured to the bracket and its other end secured to the pipe and a nonmetallio tube telescopioally connected With one end of said pipe.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

EMERY C. IioWERToN. ANDREW BERGLIN. 

